Viva
by RosylaGypsy
Summary: Tohru is gone. Kyou has snapped. Can Yuki convince the Cat that the shattered peices of something beautiful are worth preserving? Anime-based, AU episode 26.


_A what-if scenario with no background, or explanation and limited coherency (so pretty much a typical story for me. Heh). In the anime both Tohru and Yuki went after Kyou when he transformed. In this, all you really need to know is that Tohru died somehow (I imagine a car crash or some other accident), Kyou went off the deep end and managed to lose/break/tear off his beads (yes, suspended disbelief is required for this), and it's up to Yuki to bring him back. Because other than Shishou, I think he'd be the only one who would be able to._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket._

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**_Viva_**

An inhuman scream echoed through the night, livid and anguished.

The stench was unbearable. He'd already thrown up twice, and each step forward made his stomach clench. But he didn't run away. They'd done enough of that already.

He peered through the blinding sheets of rain, barely able to discern the hideous, misshapen form which loomed over the edge of the lake. He was instinctively repulsed by the sight, but there was a curious lack of fear – lack of anything really, since he'd become so emotionally numb the past few days.

Still. He was here, wasn't he? That had to mean something.

He stumbled forward a single step, cold, dizzy and exhausted. Immediately, the great head swung around, and a deep, guttural growl echoed through the clearing. He flinched, but held his ground. They eyed each other from across the short distance, locked in a frozen stalemate. Rat and Cat. Prince and monster. Rivals to the end.

It would have been so easy to stay like that. He'd been walking all night, growing more fatigued and despairing as the hours wore on, and yet it was the final few steps that he knew would undo him.

But he'd promised. He'd promised _her_.

Slowly, painfully, he began to close the gap between them. The monster watched as he approached, its bulging muscles quivering with tension, its wild eyes wary and mistrustful. When there was barely an arm length between them, he stopped. His fingers twitched, and began to stretch forward.

The beast's muscles tensed, and that was all the warning he got before it sprung away.

Panic flared, and his numb haze was shattered.

Yuki threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around the Kyou's leg, bringing them both crashing to the mud. His quarry growled in frustration and tried to pull away, but he grit his teeth, screwed his eyes shut and dug his feet in. A single phrase echoed through his head . . . _no more, no more, no more . . ._

A large claw buried itself in his side, attempting to dislodge him. He baulked at the pain, but only tightened his grip in response. Desperation fuelled determination fuelled anger. His eyes snapped open and glared at the beast through a film of unshed tears and rain.

"It's so easy, isn't it?" he ground out bitterly. It hurt to speak; his lungs felt like they were on fire, but he forced the words out anyway. "Running away. It's our first instinct, right?"

Kyou continued to struggle, so much stronger in this grotesque form. Yuki fought to hold on. "Every time we try to run, only to hit the bars of the cage, over and over again. It's all we ever do!" His voice grew louder, shrill and rusty beyond all recognition. "Well I for one am tired of running! You can't escape this life, Kyou – you can't escape yourself!"

The constriction in his chest was becoming unbearable. He was probably having an attack. It was the least of his worries. "I don't . . . I don't blame you for wanting to escape. I know it's hard to accept. But _she_ would. If she were here, she'd follow you, hold you down just like this and tell you that she accepted you. That she would want to be with you. That she lov-"

The monster screamed in rage and wrenched his arm violently to the side. Yuki was swung through the air like a rag doll, and couldn't suppress a yelp of pain as he skidded across the ground. His fingers almost slipped away, but he managed to hold on. It was all he could do now – his most basic instinct. He'd die before he let that baka neko run away again.

"She would have come," he whispered, head bowed against the arm he clutched. "You _know_ she would. You can see her now, just over there. She's been walking all night, in the rain, just wearing one of her silly little dresses, or a flimsy skirt. She's tired and cold, and can barely stand, but she came. For you. Won't you listen to her?"

Kyou had gone very still. Yuki could feel the tension vibrating beneath his thick skin. He drew himself closer, hugging the arm to his chest like a lifeline. "She says she wants you to come back and be with her. Together. She's scared, but she still loves you anyway."

The arm twitched. Scared that the Cat would try to bolt again – and not sure he had the strength to stop him again – Yuki raised his head and gave him a challenging glare. "Do you doubt her?" he hissed. "Her strength? Her heart? Her conviction? Do you honestly believe she would want this?"

Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the anger, fear and absolute grief in Kyou's feline eyes, no doubt mirrored in Yuki's own.

"You knew her best. You know she wouldn't. And neither . . . neither do I."

It was only after uttering those simple words that he felt the truth of them, and what it meant. He felt Kyou jerk in surprise. Because the cold, hard reality was, Tohru wasn't there. She was gone. And whatever she may have thought or felt, it was Yuki's thoughts and feelings that mattered now. And he was sort of shocked to find that he _did_ want Kyou to stay. His rival, his equal, the one remaining person who treated him like a human being and gave him an excuse to act like one. Someone who challenged him, gave him a reason to keep fighting. He wore no mask, concealed no hidden motives. There was a strange sort of trust in that, Yuki observed; he could trust in the Cat's constant presence, his idiocy, bluster, annoyance, stubbornness and passion. And most of all, his honesty.

He and Kyou knew each other well. As rivals, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, after a lifetime of constantly assessing each other. And on a much deeper level, they knew each other because of Honda-san. They'd laid bare their deepest thoughts to her, uncaring that the other had also heard, but somehow understanding that it wouldn't be used against them. Kyou had always believed in a fair fight, after all.

It had been the three of them for so long; Yuki, Honda-san and the Baka Neko. Her small, calloused hand resting in his, and a vivid splash of orange in his peripheral. Somehow Kyou's existence, annoying as it was, had become such a fundamental part of his life that he barely thought to question it. The Cat knew things about Honda-san that no one else did, and Yuki knew everything that he didn't. Combined, he reasoned, their memory of her should be strong enough to keep her spirit at least a little bit alive. If Kyou ran away now, the memory would be lost, the illusion shattered. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't stand to lose both of them.

He knew that carrying on would be easy, or pleasant. But he would gladly withstand the fighting, the tension, their entire screwed up family, if it meant being able to continue walking home after school with someone, a small Tohru-shaped space between them, talking and bickering like what they said actually mattered. That was what he wanted. It was enough, wasn't it?

One day they'd both be locked away like the animals they truly were, but until then, he wanted to go on being human. He wanted to live. And most importantly . . . he didn't want to be alone.

Yuki's breath had left him now completely, so he couldn't speak his mind. All he could do was clutch weakly and pray that, somehow, Kyou found as much reason to live in Yuki as Yuki did in him.

_Please don't leave me alone . . ._

The rain had stopped. Everything was silent, and almost unnaturally still. Darkness was starting to curl at the corners of his vision, contrasting with the bright glint of dawn on the water. His thoughts had begun to drift into another numb haze, and yet his physical awareness of the world seemed heightened somehow – the cold, slick mud on his skin, the tickle of blood running down his arm, each shallow, raspy breath as it tore from his throat.

"Do you think . . ?"

The voice was not his own. Yuki blinked, and realized that the arm he was holding had at some point become human-shaped. With some effort, he slowly raised his head to gaze at the boy crouched beside him.

Kyou's head was turned upward, at the clearing sky. "Do you think . . . she's with her mum?"

Yuki tiredly leant his face against the arm, absently fascinated by the goose bumps in his skin, the fine hairs brushing against his face. "I don't know."

"I thought you knew everything."

Yuki snorted softly. "I don't know anything. But what I think . . . well . . . I think that yes. She is. Maybe."

"Her mum must hate me a lot. Tohru would too, 'cept she can't hate anyone."

"It wasn't your fault, Kyou."

"I coulda saved her. Moved a bit faster and pushed her outta the way. If it weren't for the – the _damn rain_ I could have . . ." He trailed off, tears thick in his voice. Swallowing, he muttered, "I hate the rain."

"Mmm. I think I do as well." _It's my fault too._

Kyou shifted slightly. "So . . . did you mean that? What you said you didn't want to be alone?"

The Rat was surprised. He hadn't realised the plea had made it past his lips. A little embarrassed in spite of himself, he shrugged. " . . . Yes."

"What if I hadn't changed back? What if I was still a monster? Don't pretend you weren't disgusted or frightened, 'cause I know you were. What then?"

"Doesn't . . . doesn't matter. I've put up with you for years, Baka Neko. Other than the smell, it wasn't that much worse. And I can . . . still put up with it. With you. For longer."

The Cat stilled, and there was another moment of suspended tension. Yuki kept his head down, but didn't try to move. He wasn't sure he remembered how, and would probably continue clinging until he passed out or he was thrown off. Both scenarios seemed likely.

But then, he felt the muscles in Kyou's arm slowly relax. A soft sigh ruffled his hair. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make him realise . . . the Cat had agreed to this new arrangement, whatever it was, however it turned out. He wasn't going to run away again.

The two of them might not be worth much. But she was worth everything, and they would continue living. Together. For her. For each other, even. One day, they might even learn to live for themselves, but until then, this was enough. It had to be.

Yuki felt something tight and coiled slowly unwind within him. He let his eyes drift shut, and didn't try to stop himself from listing sideways. A pair of strong arms caught him before he hit the ground, and he felt himself fall forward, onto Kyou's bare chest. The Cat cursed, and the spell was broken.

"Kuso, baka Nezumi," he hissed. "You're half dead. What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Seemed like a . . . good idea . . . at the time . . ."

"Moron. We have to get you home real quick, or else Tohru will kill me."

"Tohru wouldn't kill anyone . . ."

"Well, no. But she'll haunt me forever with those big wimpy eyes. I'll want to kill myself."

"Don't," Yuki said, suddenly serious.

Kyou paused a moment, then seemed to make a decision. He gave a small, one-shoulder shrug. "Hey, I still gotta kick your ass one day. Can't do that if I'm dead."

Yuki considered this. "An interesting thing to live for. But not surprising, considering your one-track mind."

"Shut up, Kuso Nezumi."

"Baka . . ." The retort died as he finally lost consciousness in Kyou's arms. The last thing he heard was Kyou's beating heart, and the ghost of a girlish laugh, echoing in the damp morning air.

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_Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think._


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